On the morning of June 27th, Beijing time, the curtain fell on the
European cup (e.g. soccer)
In the second round of the 1/8 finals, the Austrian team was defeated by the Italian team 1:2 and regretted to bid farewell to the journey to the last eight. After the match, Austrian striker Arnautovic, who now plays for Shanghai Harbour in China's Chinese Super League, revealed that his next career might be in Italy. Immediately afterward, Italian media sources let slip through social media that Arnautovic would join Serie A side Bologna as a free agent. However, as of now, Arnautovic is still a member of the Harbor team, according to a new report from Beijin-Beijing Headlines.
At a time when the global soccer world is becoming increasingly stringent in its demands for standardization and rigor, our clubs should be cautious in handling player transfers and other matters, and strictly abide by the spirit of contract, rules and laws and regulations in order to protect their own rights and interests. At present, it seems that due to the epidemic and the national team's World Qualifying Tournament duties and other factors, the possibility of Arnautovic returning to our league is extremely low. Nevertheless, the Harbour Team has every right to act in accordance with the procedures and rules in his matter. Even if Arnautovic leaves the club, the club has the right to fight for a reasonable transfer fee in order to minimize losses.
Rumors of Arnautovic's transfer have been swirling rapidly since he returned to Europe to prepare for the Europa League. After the start of the Europa League, there were rumors that Arnautovic had agreed to a three-year contract with Bologna, with an annual salary of up to 2.7 million euros.
After the Austrian team was eliminated by Italy in the Europa League 1/8 finals, Arnautovic had stated that his future may belong to Italy, even though he is still a member of the Harbor team. An Italian media source claimed on June 28 that Arnautovic had terminated his contract with Harbour and would join Bologna as a free agent.
However, a report by Beijin-Beijing Headline Reporter 29 states that as of now, Arnautovic is still a signed player for the Harbor. There is no official word on whether he will move to another club.
It is publicly known that Arnautovic moved to Harbour from West Ham United during the 2019 season on a deal until the end of 2022. In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he accumulated 35 appearances for Harbour, scoring 17 goals. This season, he has made only four appearances for the team, scoring three goals. As of yet, he has not won any championship honors for the Harbour.
Of course, the outside world understands Arnautovic's intention to leave the Harbour. He was unable to join his family for long periods of time last season and this season due to the epidemic, so the sight of him tearfully expressing his homesickness at a press conference before the Europa League kicked off was not surprising.
As to whether Arnautovic will return to the Chinese Super League, the current situation shows that the possibility is almost zero. The reasons for this include: firstly, due to the epidemic, he will need to go through a quarantine period if he returns to China, and by the time he is released from the quarantine, the Chinese Super League may have already started. Secondly, according to the current planning of the CFA and the working league, the Chinese Super League will finish the remaining nine rounds of the first phase on August 12, and then will be temporarily suspended in September, October and November due to the preparation of the national football team and their participation in the Top 12 tournament. In addition, Arnautovic is personally homesick and has been seeking a return to play in Europe. Since the player has the will to leave, the club is afraid that he will not be forced to stay.
However, regardless of the way the transfer takes place, Arnautovic must respect the club, respect the contract, and abide by the rules and laws. As he is a signed player of the Harbour, he cannot move as a free agent unless the Harbour agrees.
The Harbour had brought in Arnautovic from West Ham United for over €20 million back in the day, and now that he is rumored to be on a free transfer to Bologna, such news is clearly illogical.
Previously, including Carrasco, Paulinho, Talisca, Xavi, Hamsik, including a number of internationally renowned stars have left China's work football, although their transfer situation is different, but the relevant Chinese Super League clubs due to their departure of the economic losses suffered is a fact. Therefore, when the rumors of Arnautovic's transfer came to light, many fans called on Chinese Super League clubs to "stick to the bottom line of rules and contracts" in managing foreign aid. From the current situation, even if Arnautovic insists on a transfer, the new owner must pay the necessary transfer fee to the harbor.
